The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1887-06-02
Attempted Arson.
New Paris Mirror

The biggest sensation New Paris has had
for q long ime was developed Tuesday eve
ming between 8 and 9 o'clock. DR.. Thomp-
son, the veterinarian, has had his Office for
vina Browns brick house adjoining Means &
Johnson's corner, and slept there. Mrs.
Brown occupied the remainder of the house.
Tuesday evening about seven O'Clock the doc
tor left his apartment and shortly after went
to attend the l~ectuae.
Not long after this Mrs. Browns attention
was attracted by an unusually strong light
shining under the door of the Doctors room,
and becoming alarmed she proceeded to in
vestigate. Raising a front window and push
ing aside the blind, a most astonishing condi-
tion of affairs inside was revealed. She i'm
mediately called Thos. Samuels, John Saw
yer and j. NJ. Barnet, who happened to be in
the meat store adjoining, and this is what they
Jaw. On the floor, in the middle of the room
sat the lighted lamp, which had been removed
from the fixtures overhead; near it, on a small
pane OF glass was a piece of candle three or
four inches long, also lighted; wrapped around
the candle, and extending from it to the dag
onally opposite corners of the room were sew
eral strands of candlewick, loosely rolled to-
gether, forming a sort of fuse. One end of
this string led to the corner under the book
case and terminated in a pile of waste paper.
The other end led to the trunk which was open
and a number OF pieces of clothing loosely
thrown upon it. In another corner was the
bed, on the corner of which were also several
loose articles of clothing and these were con-
nected with the main fuse by a string of can
dlewick. Still another such string led from
the main line to the fourth corner where
the writing desk stood, and was carried up
and connected with q drawer containing a box
of matches.
All OF these lines of candlewick as we'll as
the clothing and papers with which they were
connected were thoroughly saturated with
coal oil. A more ingenious contrivance it
would be hard to imagine. 1t was evidently
expected that when the candle would burn
down to where the saturated wick was wound
around it that instantly the fame would be
communicated to all parts of the room at once.
OF course strong suspicion at once fell upon
the occupant of the room, and Marshal Cox
was sent for and he was arrested at once, be-
ing called out of the church for that purpose,
and was locked up. The news soon spread
and the excitement was intense; crowds gath
cred and this morning the streets are full OF
people who can talk of nothing else.
DR.. Thompson has been an exemplary young
man and during all his stay here has borne q
good reputation, and it seems incredible in
the minds of those who have known him that
he could have done this thing. The only pos
sible motive that can be assigned is the fact
that about two weeks ago he placed an insur.
ance of $500 on the property in his room, in
the Phoenix, through John A. Moore, the agent
here. This amount is thought by many to be
far in excess of the value of the goods.
The preliminary hearing was had this fore.
noon, and he was bound over to court in the
sum Of $500. AS we 60 to press the bond has
not been given.